Texans re-up with CBS Radio, KILT for 10 years

The full list of bidders was not disclosed, but it was common knowledge that KGOW (1560 AM) made an aggressive run at the Texans deal and believed it had a shot at success.

In the end, though, the Texans opted for CBS, for familiarity and for the assortment of stations and promotional opportunities that the stations can offer. While the 10-year deal that expires after this season was a straight rights deal, this one is believed to be more of a revenue-sharing arrangement similar to CBS’ deal in Dallas-Fort Worth with the Cowboys, which also was negotiated by CBS Radio executive Brian Purdy, who oversees the stations in both markets.

I was hoping for a lot of answers Thursday night but really got very little. For example, does the new arrangement mean that the Texans will hire Marc Vandermeer as a full-time employee, as many teams do with their play by play announcer, and thus his time as a KILT talk show host will come to an end? Maybe, but we don’t know. Texans president Jamey Rootes also refused to elaborate on the logistics of the deal and how it will differ from the previous one, which was disappointing and frustrating but, truth be told, not all that surprising.

Still, the presumption is that CBS will not face the iron-clad annual rights fee that it shelled out during the old contract, and perhaps the advertising portion of the deal has been redone in a way that both sides have a chance to maintain or increase their current financial performance.

Without addressing his future job description at KILT, Vandermeer said Friday that he was pleased that CBS was able to keep the Texans.

“I’ve always said that game day to me is Christmas morning,” he said. “I love being in that booth with Andre, and to have the chance to continue that is really satisfying – actually, exhilarating.”

He said CBS Radio “has stepped up big for the Texans” in recent years with shoulder programming in addition to the games.

“This is a competition, just like sports, and we wanted to be sure that we got this deal back,” he said. “It’s the prize of Houston sports broadcasting, and we won the prize.”